[LeftCoastGeek]

so... I'm sure this is a religious topic but... I'm curious what you guys like to use on Mercedes leather seats?

The black leather (261) seats in my new cabrio are in very good shape for a 22 year old 250000 mile car, but they are a bit dry, and I'd like to give them some more life, without making them too soft and/or greasy....

I've used Lexol in the past. I actually have a Leatherique kit I bought awhile back and never used, with a liter bottle of both the cleaner/restorer and the preservative.... I think I held back from using it before, because the process seemed so involved.

and... Leather wrapped steering wheels. the wheel on this car shows some signs of having gotten damp and sticky in the past, and is a bit 'lumpy' in places, my wife's E320T is much the same. whats good to use on these that won't make them either too soft or too greasy/slippery ?

 

[Real1shepherd]

This has been well sorted out in there with lots of pics and opinions. I'd say within the last yr......don't remember the thread title though.

Kevin

 

[LeftCoastGeek]

probably should be linked up in the FYI stickies, then ...

ah, search engine found me this thread, from 3-4 years back
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w124-e-ce-d-td-class/1606159-what-should-i-treat-dashboard-n.html

although it doesn't mention steering wheels.

so, sounds like leatherique or connolly's is what the serious folks use.

guess I'll give the leatherique a try.

 

[Komrade 124]

I've found Leatherique is excellent for restoration and would be ideal for your thirsty cab seats, however afterwards, for regular maintenance and protection I've used the water based 'Leather Masters' products (Vital and Protection Cream) for years with great results.

 

[Real1shepherd]

I'm not sure that's the same thread, because the one I'm thinking about was longer. But the opinions were the same overall:Leatherique.

After having Connolly leather in E-Types for yrs and yrs, I automatically defect to Hide Food.....but that's not exactly a 'modern' formulation or product.

Kevin

 

[ColoradoBenzz]

I've really been liking VLR (Mother's Product). It works great on the seats, door cards, and dash. It doesn't leave things feeling greasy nor does it promote wear of the leather. I've found some products actually accelerate wear especially if you use them often.

 

[bondavi]

I did notice your back seats looked dry as if the top was left down in the sun quite often. Leatherique with plastic garbage bags left over the rejuvenator to soak in and left warm for a couple days before applying the 2nd step cleaner agent.

On an aside, the Volvo leather sure was good for its day, wasn't it? My dad currently has a S60 2.4T which is nice, but has a bit of a pleather feel. I'll never forget the day we picked up the brand new grey/black '83 245GLT getting in....that smell!

 

[LeftCoastGeek]

we have/had a 1987 volvo 240, 1993 volvo 960, 1992 volvo 740, 1996 volvo 850, with leather. decent stuff but not as durable as the mercedes leather on these w124s (or my friend's old w116 450SEL)

the 87 240's leather is completely shreaded now, they've been under velour custom-fit seat covers for about 15 years now. the 740's original drivers seat was pretty bad when I got it, so I replaced the whole seats with a set from a later 940/960 (direct bolt in, just had to adapt the power for the drivers seat as my 740 had manual seats). the 850 had new factory leather skins when I bought it circa 2006.

this 1993 Cabrio, I dunno if the seat skins are original or replacement, but if they were replaced, it was over 10 years ago as I saw no sign of new seat covers in 10 years of service receipts from the 2nd owner I bought it from.

 

[tomca]

From what I know every leather is different and usually every manufacturer has their own recommendation on products. I learned that the most common mistakes in leather care is rubbing dirt into the leather or applying care products on it before it's been cleaned. I usually use warm water with moisturizing soap or baby shampoo sprayed on cheap microfiber cloths (don't spray the leather!). Tough stains can be treated with a mix of vinegar and oil or alcohol but it will most likely discolor the leather. I like saddle soap to keep old and worn leather from breaking. Once it's clean you can use conditioner. Vacuum clean before doing anything. Use a set of brushes to get dirt out of the grooves (toothbrush, shaving brush).

I never got a steering wheel back to new just with cleaning. Sweat, finger grease, climate and dirt is hard to beat. But if you're a little handy they are not difficult to rewrap. Take the wheel off, cut the zigzag stitch and remove it carefully. It helps to mark the position with a white pencil or a Sharpie. You can try to clean it from here or simply get a new patch and trace it from the old one. It's hard to explain in detail but there are several DIYs out there. Get yourself a set of curved leather needles, the best polyester thread you can find, patience and time and it's doable in one weekend. I got myself a cheap steering wheel from the junk yard to practice. It's amazing how easy it is to fabricate good leather if you take your time.